How to speed up your home Wi-Fi by optimizing your router

No one’s Wi-Fi setup is perfect, but some of us really struggle to get it right. If you suffer from frequent drops in connection or slowdowns despite the fact that your hardware seems to be up to snuff, you might want to follow these simple steps to see if you can achieve a more consistent Wi-Fi connection in your home.

In a video published on Sunday, CNET shared several tips that should help to speed up your Wi-Fi. The first suggestions might sound obvious, but not everyone knows that you should keep your router out in the open and not tucked away in a drawer or a cabinet. The general rule of thumb is that if your device can see the router, you’ll have a better wireless connection.

Something else that many users might not consider is plugging their devices into the router when they’re close enough to do so. This isn’t going to be convenient for everyone, but if you can easily stretch an Ethernet cable from your router to your computer (or video game console), you’re going to get a much faster connection.

As for the connection itself, many recent routers have two frequencies, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. If your device is capable of connecting to the 5 GHz frequency, you’ll get better speeds. If your stuck with 2.4 GHz, use a Wi-Fi analyzer to find the least-crowded channel.

If all else fails, you might just need to upgrade to a higher tier of service from your ISP. But be sure to follow all the tips above before you shell out more money for faster speeds.